Sheet feeding and delivering mechanism for printing machines



C. L.v STERN ET AL s sneetss'neet 1 /NvE/vro R5 www Ori .J'gal Filed July?, 1922 Nov. l, 1927.

snr-:ET FEEDING AND DLIvEnIua MEcnAuIsM Fon PRINTING mcnms Novo 1,

C. L. STERN ET AL SHEET: FEEDING AND DELIVERING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES 'original Filed July?. 1922 3 lSheets--Sheet 2 I Nov. l, 1927.

- c:i l.. STERN ET A l.

SHEET FEEDING AND DELIVE'RIING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES original Filed July?, 1922 sheets-snm s Patented Nov. Y1, 1927;

UNITED ,S51-ms CARL LOUIS STERN AND ARTHUR VICTOR lBUGLIER, 0F LONDON,

'InerNsLl Y' SHEET EEEDING AND DELIVERING MECHANIsu:Y EOEIPRINTING MAoHINIixs.V

original application mea July 7, 1922, seria; No. 5753,27?, andai rGreat Britain ,'ruulyisgiezi.

Divided and 'this application 1edJ'an11ary 13', 1927. Serial No. 160,789.

This invention relates to sheety feeding and delivering mechanism for printing ymar- -chines, such as that described inapplication "forrLetters' PatentvSerial No. 573,277, filed 5 7th` July, 1922, from which the present ap-` plicationihas been divided', and particularly to those constructions known as pile feedersv and, pile deliveries. For convenience the application Serial No. 573,277 is herein relferred toas the original application.. InV

producing, with such vmechanism, multiv colour work,that isto say, ,printing in two or more colours on one side of each sheet, it is usual, after the sheets have received their first impression, to transfer them-by hand in batches from the deliverypile back to the feeding pile, from which they Y'are again fed into the machine, with the same Iedge leading 'as4 in the. preViOusprinting, for receiving. the second impression, and so on forany further impressions, In producing with this type -of mechanism, vper fector work, that isto say, sheets printed on both sides, it isnecessary, in effecting a transfer similar to that above mentioned, to invert each batch of sheets,.and also reverse the Ysame so that the edge.A which lwas .the leading one during the printing on, One side shall be lthe leadingl edge during the printing lon the opposite side.

In both the above named'systemsA of working, the handling of-the sheets y.during `the transfer from the delivery mechanism to the feed mechanism disturbs thepile alignment which had been previouslysecured by the .jogging vmechanism on the delivery board,

and such alignment has to be restored beforeV the sheets are again fed-through the machine to ensure properregister of the successive impressions; The objectof the provide -means whereby the transfer from the delivery mechanism to the feeding mechanism may be effected withoutnecessitating under any I circumstances, an inversion of the sheets and disturbance ofthe pile alignment of such sheets@V ',-y

.For attaining .the ,above named object, new orimproved means are provided in con- ,junctionjwith the feed board wherebyl `the top sheet-may be fed, from the pile'with i either its front or its rear edgeleadingand 5 present invention is to The invention lwill/now be describedfloy reference to the accompanying drawings` in `v whichpxo- Figure l is a diagrammaticsideelevation;

vided with msm;

Y ENGLAND', AssIGNoRs" f; To LINo'rYPE AND MACHINERY LIMITED, `or LONDON, ENGLANnA BRITISH Colvi-Vv Figure 2g is' a Sida' elevation of a, feeder and i l. Figure` 3 is an elevationas viewed from the right-hand side of Figure 2, and. with the. central portion broken away.

head v embodying theV present improvements,

,The application ofthe invention'y to Y `feed'cnd'of a printing machine is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure l, a single reversible feeder headl 2 being there shown towards the left hand side inthe position for operating near theforemost edge ofthe pn@ 4 on the feed .board 1L to Vna the top f sheets fromthe pile in: successionl `and introducetheml between thefeedgrolls 5,'bfy' which Y they are passed alongl the tapes 6 to the rolls 7 which in turn pass them onV to the printing couple. y The position occupied the same, feeder head-towards the rightlin so Figure 1 and there ymarked k3, yisthat in l l which it operatesV nearl the reanedge of the i successionand deliver-them vbetween the' -rolls 8 vto the endlesstape 9, vvwhich they are inverted over the roll 10, and thencefed by. sheet-conveyingl devices such as they'tapes ll. 12,713 to the` rolls 7, which theyare delivered to the printing couple, asin the l the head when referred to as awhole), upon which aremountedthe shafts for supporting and operating the sheet lifting and sepathe rails 18 and pinionsi19,'one at each end means-fof? ear wheels 2 0 on afshaft 84' extending aan yrthrough a tubular abattant,

vpile 4 to liftthe top sheets from lthe pile V .rating devicesthese frames being supported Y above the" level of the1 pile fon side''rail's 18, 18, along which the head is l tdjustable@ als -L i a whole by means of racks 23 at theside .of

foffa"shaft"22"*Which is rotated when; desired Y 10ov y y v ried by, and adjustable transversely along,

Y bearings 28.

ari.'

a shaft 24, and is operated from a rotatingv shaft., which is driven by means of a spiral; gear 27- a dju,stable along the firstdriven shaft 26. The shaft 24 is journalled in bearings 28 sliding in guides 29V in theside frames. and. is vertically reciprocated by means of grooved cams 30 on the vshaft 25, which are The suction device 32, by which the top slieetsare liftedfrom the pile, 'is adjustable c vertically, by means of milled nuts 83, within a hollow'- casing 82V which is pivoted at 33` to a forked bracket 34 carried' by a rod 35 capable 0fV sliding fore-and-aft in a bearing bracketv 3 6 which is adjustable alongv the shaft 24. The bracket 34 is connected by a link 37-toan arm 81 fast on shaft 71 which is rocked through segmental gear 72, on the lower end of an arm 73, by a grooved clam 42, mounted' on the shaft 25, with which engages a bowl-43 on said arm 73. v

lThe sheet lifter 32 is thus, through the vertical'V movement of the shaft 24, periodically lowered on to and raised away from the pile 4, and, through the rocking of the Vshaft`7l, moved backwards and forwards above the pile. At appropriate stages duringathese-movements, a pipe 44, carried by the'vfiames 3, with which pipe the lifter 32 communicates through a flexible tube 45, is connected to an air-exhauster and opened to atmosphere, so that the successive top sheets off the pile are lifted, fed forward and released. 'Therey are preferably two sheets feeding devices` operating simultaneously on eaclr head", and these are located at such distance apart on the shaft 24 as to act near "opprositepsides ofthe pile.

The lifter 32is designed to perform, at the leading edge of the pile, the functions of both lifter and separator, and in its last- .named` functionit is assisted by an air blast projiecte-d"A against the said leading edge through apertures in one or other of two pipes, located near opposite ends of the pile in such-positions between the rails 18 that` either one or the other can be employed accordingv to the position of the leading edge,

although in the drawing there is shown only one such p ipe 89y with its apertures 90 which willi be i'n-v use when feeding direct, i. e., to-

wards the lef-t of Figures l and 2.

The mechanism for imparting the required v motions to the lifter 32 is arranged so that 'thevliftter may bev operated reversely at opposite sides of the feeder head. For this purpose there is provided'a second rocking 21 which is rocked through a segmentali gear and' lever arm 78. thelever arm 7,8 is pivoted" to therespective frame'3at 79 andfis'prov'ided' with a second arm 7 9a carrylengaged. by bowls 3l on theV ing a toothed sector 77 meshing with a similar sector 76 on an arm 75` fastv tothe before described arm 73.

yThe sheet-separating action of the lifter, in addition to being assisted by the a-irblast above referred to, is further assisted by the-,buckling` of the top sheet at the vvcommencementof the lifting action. The lifter therefore has imparted to it a tilting inotion about the aXis of the studs 33. The cam 42 is soshapedV that the initialwmotion given by it to the-lifter 32 is backwards, i. e., away from thel leading edge of the pile, and the lifter 32, at a point above the pivot 3,3, contacts with one end of a rod 86 which'is ad,- jiistably supported at its opposite end inan upward extension 87 of the bracket 36,Y andf is provided with a lock nut 88 vbearing against said extension 87, by which meansY the rearward movement oflv the uppeipart of the lifter is restricted and' its sheet-engaging end consequently is tilted 'upwardly and rearwardly. On its subsequent forward m0- tion the lifter is restored to its normal vertical position bythe spring 63.

It will now be understood 'that by the respective movements ofthe shafts 24 and 7l, the desired sheet separating and feeding motions of the lifter 32 will be secured,

VVh-en sheets are to be fed from the opposite edge ofthe pile as might be required when feeding to inverting mechanism for perfecter work, as in ther original application', the head is racked along the rails 18, by turning the shaft 84, tothe proper position for operating on the rearward 'edge of the pile and the lifter reversed'. The 'lastnamed reversal is effected bydisconnecting the link 37 from arm 8l and bracket 34 and removing the lattery as well as the lifter 32, and rods 35- and 86 to the 'opposite side of the head,^inserting the rod 35'y into that end of the bracket 36 and the rod=`86 inte t-he Vextension 87, at the same time "removing the lifter will receive from the' shafts 24 and ent parts of the pile. f

Having described our invention, we de- Clare that what wel claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is n l. In or for a printing machine, sheet feeding mechanism comprising in combination a feeder head, a sheet lifter supported in the feeder head, means in the feeder head adapted to support the lifter alternatively at the front or'back of said feederhead, and mechanism carried by the feeder head operative to reciprocate the lifter in planes at an angle to each other in either of its positions in the fe-eder head.

2. In or for a printing machine, sheet feeding mechanism comprising in combination a feeder head, means adapted to adjust j the feeder head from one to the other end of the pile from which the sheets are to be fed, a sheet lifter supported in the fe-eder head, means in the feeder head adapted to `support the lifter alternatively at the front or back of said feeder head, and mechanism carried by the feeder head operative to re-,

' ciprocatethe lifter in planes at an angle to f ciprocate the horizontal shaft, means in the each other in either of its positions in the feeder head. v t

3. In or for a printing machine, sheet feeding means comprising in combination a feeder head, a horizontal shaft vertically movable in guides inthe feeder head, a bracket adjustable along the horizontal shaft, a sheet lifter supported in the bracketv with a capacity for moving vin fore-and-aft direction, means operative to vertically refeeder head adapted to support thelifter alternatively at the front or back of the feeder head, and means operative to horiiirst'named bracket with a capacity for mov-V arrest this horizontal movement of the lifter 55 5v. -I n` or `fora printing machine, sheet feeding means `comprising in combination a ing relativ-ely'thereto iIi 1forefand-aft.direc-Vy I the forked bracket, means operative to vertion, a .sheetlifter pivotally supported in tically vreciprocate the horizonalshaft, t

means'in the feeder head adapted to support the lifter alternatively at the front or back of the'feeder head, means. operative to hori- `zontally reciprocate the forked bracket and klifter relatively to the first named bracket Whetherv it be situated at the front or back of the feeder head, andmeans adapted to at one side of the pivots of 'said'liften feeder head, a horizontal shaft 'vertically movable in guides inthe' feeder head, a`

bracket adjustable along the horizontal shaft, a forked bracket supported by the first named bracket with a capacity for moving relatively thereto in fore-and-aft direction, a sheet lifter pivotally supported the forked bracket,.means operative to vertically reciprocate the horizontalV shaft means in the feeder head adapted to support .l the lifter alternatively at the front or back of the feeder head, means operative to horif zontally ,reciprocate the forked bracket and lifter relatively to the first named bracket whether it bek situated vat the front o r back of the feeder head, and means adapted to` arrest this `horizontal movementl of thelifter at one side of the pivots of said lifter, saidV last-named means 'being mounted in the feederV head With a capacity for reversal to positionsv correspond With the fore-and-aft of thelifter in said head. Y In testimony whereof We have affixed our signatures hereto. f

CARL LoUissTERN.

- ARTHUR VICTOR BUGLER. 

